Taking inspiration from the 1st book and a few of other episodes of the “Metamorphoses”, word that from greek means “change of shape”, written in latin by Publius Ovidius, this new project aims to build a path of multi levels within an allegorical vision related to the current age of crisis and transformation of human beings and our society.

The way to see the whole work would formally very different but conceptually similar to the fresco dedicated to the “Fall of the Giants” by Giulio Romano in the Palazzo Te in Mantua (Mantova), where the representation becomes a metaphor of the times lived and precarious power and human ambitions; So going on other examples are possible like the trasformations of Aracne, Daphne, Icarus, Heliades sisters, Medusa, ect. The outer and inner change of form and substance of living beings and their natural relationships into something different, new and unexpected, from the creative process naturally with technology through the lens of the symbolism of Myth and the squared glass of Science.

It is very interesting to see the origin of name Palazzo Te: “The famous villa, designed for parties, receptions and “idleness” of the Duke of Mantua, was built on an island in direct contiguity with the city center, known since the Middle Ages Tejeto, or Te. The hypothesis most likely derive from the term ’tilietum’(place of linden trees) or from the Celtic ‘tezza’ linked with Latin ‘atteggia’ in english ‘attitude’, both meaning ‘hut’.” *from

Obviously the project is not complete about the whole huge Ovid’s work, and in start I’ve done just some main episodes, but my intention is to work on it in future, it will take time for sure. Stay tuned.

EL MENTUM One of my most representatives and complex works I ever done, a big installation partecipating at the “RINASCIMENTO METAVERSO” Show – 30 Jan 2010 – presented in Benvolio at CARP (Virtual Cinetic & Cybernetic Art in the Second Life Metaverse Infrastructure) a Collective Show with italian artists. The Structure was a travel into the Elements through dream visions and simbols, into complete immersive spaces.

Creation of the final event “The War of the Elements” that closed the whole Show, a performance with different outfits own created, rezzer, sculptures, ect. with visitors directly involved into the battle space.

EL MENTUM by Merlino Mayo

This is the Entrance to the whole bigger installation a dreamlike travel into the Nature’s Elements

Welcome to EL MENTUM one installation partecipating at the “RINASCIMENTO METAVERSO” – 30 Jan 2010 – presented in Benvolio at CARP (Virtual Cinetic & Cybernetic Art in the Second Life Metaverse Infrastructure)

This realistic field is the door entrance to the virtual world. The Alice’s Mirror you can find always into the Metaverses. To Explore the entire complex installation just reach the hole near the metal structure and simply jump in or walk in it. You will fall into the FIRST ELEMENT – 1) AIR -… after that just follow the white GUIDE-LINES on the ground and reach the doors on the wall that look as great Symbols, go through those and walk to the NEXT ELEMENT… so in order to see.. for help if you don’t want to walk you can reach each part with the following Landmarks.

0) Crop Field

1) AIR (AER)

2) EARTH (HUMUS)

3) FIRE (IGNIS)

4) WATER (AQUA)

5) EXIT with TELEPORT to other artists – with The little ROOM of the Creation –

EXPLANATION

– The Name –

EL MENTUM or ELEMENTUM
born from Latin words AL (changed in EL) that means “Growing” and MENTUM that means “Aliment” so I found intersting the story of this word so near to idea of the ancient Reneissance, and a reborn of the ideas and the new technology research in Arts in the actual scenary of new frontiers as Processing and Augmented Reality that for sure will intercept the develop of the tomorrow Metaverses.

– The Structure –

This installation is divided into two big Areas: A) Real World B) Virtual World (dreamlike)

A) The Real World (alaways part of the Maya ‘illusion’ concept)

This is a big Crop field that represent the door entrance to the Virtual Oniric World. The Alice’s Mirror you can find always into the Metaverses.
Here you find a symbolic representation of the four Nature Elements as:

1 -The Trees “Humus – Earth (+)”

2 -The Astrolabe, Stars – “Ignis – Fire O”

3 -The abandoned Watermill – “Aqua – Water (-)”

4 -The Scaffolding with windy ropes “Aer – Air (o)”

5 -The central Crop Field that represent the Life Cicle of Nature, Born and Death.

6 -The Dodecahedron that represent the invisible Fifth Element. So it looks different from the rest. this figure has got 12 faces (4×3) where 4 is Gaia and 3 is the Sun. Each face is with 5 sides so the five “elements” are completes.
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There are also some rust metal symbols abandoned near each real element that needs to be understood as the way they looks.

Earth “(+)” is a cross into a circle, that represent the number four that is the
Terra Mater or GAIA, the number 4 represent the four seasons, the four cardinal directions, ect.

Air “(o)” is represented from a point dot into a circle, the dimension around the point means the air concept as an empty space around it.

Water “(-)” is almost tangible the concept of surface or the lake or sea horizon.

Fire “O” is a pure round circle that represent the Sun.

There is an Hole into the ground that represent The Door or The Alice’s Mirror that is necessary to reach the Dream dimension.

B) Virtual World (dreamlike) – located under the crop field –
This section is a long sequence of big spaces or rooms dedicated to all the single elements, in order from AIR, EARTH, FIRE, WATER, and a final little “Room of the Creation” or the “Creation of the Universe”.
Each large space is divided from a tunnel corridor a sort of buffer zone, necessary to avoid sounds interferences.
All the walking is built in safe mode to avoid avatars lost into the thousands interspaces hidden into the whole structure.
The Walk Line is white and easy to recognize, with big large arrows that shows the right direction.
On the Walls are present big huge Symbols that are doors to pass through, each one is positioned to show the next element the visitor is going to reach and to make experience of.

1) So the first ambient is the AIR with men who seems to fall down but basically are fluctuating into the element of air space, with evocative sounds and an explosion of light and colors, to give the idea of moving with all the means.

2) The second space is EARTH. Here you find the dominant 4 with cross, so the cube volumes are dominant in all that you can see. This space would recall the idea of a forest with big cubed green tree trunks that slowly moves but are strictly connected with the gravity as a strong force from up and down. The trees move all with some large blue light-air volumes to magnify the tree trunks consistence but also the opposite balance between physical forces, as light and shadows or
light and heavy, or fight and love. The men this time are all on the ground surface and looks in white light and black reflecting.. they are strictly connected to the ground and still suggest to the visitor the opposite concept, with colors, position-actions and consistence glow and reflection. The sounds are evocative of a forest full of life.

3) The ambient of the FIRE is represented from the round circle of the Sun, a star with rays that could be represented as rays, the triangle, as like the flames of a camp fire. So you can find here a big cloud of a great number of Triangular flaming parts in the air as a smoke, and a big central fire with moving rays from the center of it. The sounds are from tribal percussions drums, and vibration instruments with the fire sound. The men are all converted to the center with scaling force to give the idea of power energy. The triangle is present also in the volume of the room and the white walking lines. The light is diffused from a center point to the rest of the area. There is also a little circle of acrobatics men, who represent the dance of life.

4) The WATER is a big round sphere with many waves builted with flexi cones, that create with the right settings, a liquide Movement fluent and fluid. The levels calls the water surface as the symbol call the sea horizon. Into the center there are rezzers who react to the avatar presence and create columns of bowls of water and oxygen, with strong sounds from the sea waves and water effect. In the Exit little room there are 2 men who swim under the water surface, one going down and one going up.

5) The little Room of the Universe Creation, this is a little corner created to give a rappresentation of the Vibration who create the Universe. It comes from the shadows and is positioned into a large black empty space, as a conception and gestation of something which is being born. The geometrical volumes changes from little to bigger as mean of the born and growing concept. The spheres and the boxes. The boxes represent the different dimensions, that change colors from deeper to lighter, the spheres just spot light with a unique big vibration which create all things.

Final Close Show Performance for EL MENTUM: “The Battle of the Elements”

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Special Thanks to all the Group of CARP and all dear friends.